Rhode Island Roads - I-95 S. of Providence

I-95 south of Providence




Gray Lane NB where it's cut off by I-95. Normally, this isn't anything special, but back in the day, I-95's southbound lanes were what is now Route 184 Extension - former RI 184, now a tail on CT 184. This was the original New London Turnpike, a road that can be followed by a few different numbers from Providence to New London, right up to an abandoned bridge. Anyway, Gray Lane was special in that it intersected this hybrid 95-184 at grade, and that is why you can see the pavement continuing beyond the guiderail.

SB RIDOT sign for an upcoming CT exit.


The SB Exit 2 ramp sign doesn't look that old but it uses the old New England font - the loops in the P and R are the most obvious hints. Also, the arrows use two different styles.


NB LGS's doing a BGS's work, with the wrong font to boot. The blurry sign reads RI 138 EAST, Kingston, Newport.


Head back to 1970 with Michael Summa, when state-name shields were common and button copy was on every sign support. The only one of my photos with a sign this old is the Exit 12A sign (RI 113) three photos down.


SB at Exit 8, this once was Exit 8B and traffic could only bear right onto RI 2 SB (NB I-95 has always had full access to RI 2).


A bit sunny, but this used to be SB on I-95 approaching RI 4, showing a diagrammatic of five lanes splitting into two pairs of three. While I-95 only has three lanes just to the north of here, I-295 adds in the remainder. Photo courtesy Doug Kerr.


This used to read "TO 5." If you follow this exit onto RI 113, you would see that it does, indeed, still go to RI 5 - see the 113 link at the bottom of this page.


A pair of NB BGS's. The first one shows two things, besides the fact that the old BGS has the split EXIT and ONLY panels. One, RI 5 (at least NB) is now directed onto Exit 12B instead of Exit 12A. Two, RIDOT decided to put up new signs on I-95 before taking down the old ones (on I-295, they were simply replaced). I would question why RIDOT would erect new sign gantries when the old ones work just fine, but then again, this is the DOT that left up the RI 114 and Jamestown bridges. The second sign is from an early '70's study into diagrammatic signs, and showing its age (i.e. starting to peel). All 5 lanes are diagrammed with split black lines; also note that I-95 has no destination (should be Providence). I'd get a better photo, but it's gone now.


The southbound Exit 12B ramp splits with a pair of old BGS's and a pair of... no, wait, those are all on one white sign in the gore of the ramp split.


Photos from the T. F. Green Airport Connector NB as it ends at I-95.


NB in that area to Exit 14 for RI 37. Because I-95 and I-295 split just a few miles ago, the only reason to have I-295 signs here, as bad as they are, is for airport traffic.


In the first picture, another example of new signage over old signage, this one SB. At least this time, the information on the signs agrees (look back up to see the 3/4 versus 1 mile discrepancy). In the second picture, the T.F. Green exit in the background leads to a brief freeway that crosses US 1 and heads into the airport.


North of I-295, I-95 NB gives you another chance to get away via RI 37. Both shields are 2di width, but only one is Certified RIDOT.


Old signage NB at Exit 16 and on the ramp. SB 10 is signed as US 1 because there is no NB Exit 15 (see below for why that makes sense), but it should still also say RI 10 to RI 12.


SB signage for Exit 16, finishing up on the ramp as well.


Heading NB, we run into first another old sign (with a black shield background just like NJ), and then... one of three button-copy BGS locations left in Providence! (The others are on RI 10 and the Henderson Bridge.) Notice the 900 FEET distance to the exit (fairly odd), as well as the fact that the EXIT 18 tab is not what was originally up there. The last sign isn't unusual at all, and yet manages to be non-new.

SB on I-95 in the vicinity of the above picture. Clearly older and newer freeway are meeting here.

Continue north on I-95
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Into Connecticut on I-95
Exit 93 to CT 184
Exit 93 to CT 216
Exit 3 to RI 138
Exit 5 to RI 102
Exit 8, 12, or 14 to RI 2
Exit 9 to RI 4
Exit 12 to RI 113
Exit 12B to I-295
Exit 12B to RI 5
Exit 14 or 16/17 to US 1
Exit 14 to RI 37
Exit 16 to RI 10
Exit 16 to RI 12
Exit 18 to US 1A
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